So here I am with another Anthology horror title. This time it's the John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper work, Body Bags. Originally this was supposed to be an anthology TV series on showtime to rival Tales From The Crypt. The plans were canceled though and Showtime assembled the completed episodes together for a single film to be aired on their network. So is this anthology going to be a stand out? With the names involved, it's hard to assume otherwise.
Lets start with the wrap around. There isn't too much of a story here. You can see how it's theme would lend itself well to a television series. Carpenter plays a quirky yet twisted morgue employee. He's fascinated with the murders and other atrocities that find themselves in the morgue. John does a great job delivering the black humor in between segments.
The first story, titled “The Gas Station” is Carpenter directed and follows a young woman’s first night at a gas station job just outside Haddonfield, Il (Cool Halloween reference.) She spends her night dealing with suspicious characters until she’s targeted by a serial killer. This segment is vintage Carpenter oozing with suspense. The remote setting immediately creates a sense of paranoia and John just pokes at it constantly until the climactic showdown.
“Hair” is the next story, directed by Carpenter again. It’s a stark contrast to the suspense driven first story. This one is comedic up until the closing moments. “Hair” follows a middle aged man who’s having trouble coming to terms with his baldness. After days of trying different solutions, he resorts to a strange hair restoration company that promises next day hair regrowth. He chooses an absurd hairstyle and things seem to going well until his hair growth becomes out of control. As a man battling my own baldness, I related to the central character. They hit the nail right on the head when it comes to the insecurities of balding men. It’s all very entertaining and funny.
The third and final story is “Eye”. This Tobe Hooper directed piece is once again a stark contrast to the previous story. Mark Hamill stars as a minor league baseball player on the brink of an MLB call up. He gets into a car accident that causes him to lose his right eye. He participates in an experimental eye transplant procedure that appears to be a success. That is until he’s plagued with visions of the eyes previous owner, a psychotic murderer that targets blonde women. Oh did we mention Mark has a blonde wife? What could go wrong? While not totally soaked in blood, “Eye” features some cool gore effects. It’s probably the most morbid of the three stories.
Suspense, atmosphere, comedy, and gore delivered by two of horrors greatest directors. What more could you ask for? This is one of the best anthology horror titles I’ve seen. It’s such a shame that the TV series was canceled. Would definitely pay money to own a box set or two of this kind of material. If you haven’t seen it already, Body Bags is definitely worth a watch this Halloween season!
Body Count:3
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